'Yaman', the self-described political thriller, hits the screens today.  Here is our review.

Story:

As the film begins, Devarakonda Gandhi (Vijay Antony) gets killed by his rivals who fear that their position will be threatened if he were to make it big in politics.  Decades later, his son Ashok Chakravarthy (Vijay Antony, again) accidentally gets drawn into the murky world of behind-the-screens politicking when he is jailed on admitting to have hit someone on the road.

Two gangster-type baddies with political backing become his enemies and this in turn brings him closer to Karunakaran (Thyagarajan), a political heavyweight who has his own ambitions.  A Minister sees Ashok as an enemy because he sees in him his father Gandhi, whom he had conspired to murder.  All this even as Ashok is oblivious of the fact!

Machinations and counter-machinations grow with the growing political ambitions of Ashok, whose rivals wouldn't let him and his friend (Miya George as actress Anjana) live in peace.

Ashok boldly faces all this in his game of one-upmanship and realizes his dream of growing big in politics.

Analysis:

Vijay Antony, who has the penchant for selecting characters with grey shades, has once again gone for a tailor-made character in the backdrop of a political thriller.  By and large, he executes his intentions well.

For all the cinematic liberties (the Minister does nothing but seethe with impotent range even as this small-time Bar shop owner Ashok challenges his political status), 'Yaman' makes a mark through the very many hard-hitting dialogues (the Telugu version has been penned by Bhashya Sri).

The hero's performance makes for a cool watch.  His measured expressions and earnestness should win him applause.  The first half resorts to a leap of faith that was avoidable.  The hero's characterization is appalling, to say the least.  He is an ordinary grandson with no background, but he suddenly turns into a super man as if he were in a neurotic state!

The solo song and the duet the heroine has with Vijay are two major irritants in the flow of the screenplay. Veteran Thiagarajan makes his presence felt as the seasoned politician while Arul Jothy as the minister Panduranga makes a lasting impression in the role. Charlie as a loyal PA to the Minister is superb.  Sangili Murugan, Swaminathan and all the other actors have done complete justice to their roles.

Bhashya Sri's dialogues are the backbone of the film and are so close to reality that every word spoken has the desired effect on the audiences. The screenplay, which moves at a slow pace, is still engaging due to the clever use of betrayal as a motif throughout. The masterstroke is in the climax when the hero unknowingly avenges his father's murder even as he accomplishes the dream of both his father and grandfather.

The brilliant camera work by the director himself cleverly hides the low production values and the feeling that only the characters of ‘Yaman’ exist in the city. Editing by Veera Senthil Raj is neat, although the first twenty minutes could do with some trimming to make it more peppy.

Vijay Antony, the music director, has used his own tune from ‘Salim’ in the background to a good effect, while all the songs in this movie are a huge disappointment.

Verdict:

For those of you who have the patience as well as the inclination to watch machinations that go behind the screens in the field of politics, watch 'Yaman' as you are sure to like it.